See below for UPDATE.
After being touted by Assemblyman Joseph Lentol and other sources as the best Fourth of July fireworks viewing spot in Brooklyn, some posters have reported that the park was locked at 9 p.m. last night.
While the official rules say the park closes at "dusk," locals have gathered in East River Park for years to watch the July 4th fireworks -- especially since Macy's moved the display to the New Jersey side of Manhattan, eliminating most Brooklyn viewing locations.
According to the NY Daily News, "Locals have been quietly flocking to the Louis Valentino, Jr. Park and Pier in Red Hook and the East River Park in Williamsburg to watch the dazzling display ever since they opened in the 1990s.
"The East River Park may not remain a secret viewing spot for the patriotic pyrotechnics for long: Crowds gathered around sundown last July 4th," continued the News.
“It's an incredible place to watch the fireworks; you’re right on the water,” said Assemblyman Joseph Lentol (D-Williamsburg), who was instrumental in the building of the park.
He added jokingly, “It's almost like it's on the East River.”
Can anyone confirm that the park was locked?
UPDATE: The Brooklyn Eagle reports on the park closing: "So many people were pouring into the park 'crowd control became an
issue,' John Phillips, a park supervisor who has lived in the
neighborhood for 20 years, told the Eagle. 'It just got to
the point where we had to lock the doors.'" Read the whole story here.
Go to McBrooklyn's HOME PAGE.
The park was open for firewoks viewing.However,the park gates were closed after park capacity was reached. People already inside the park were allowed to stay.All in all it was a pleasent experience.The park employees were very helpful and nice.
ReplyDeleteThat explains why some people said they couldn't get in. Must have been a big crowd.
ReplyDeleteHuge crowd. If you want to get in next year I suggest you go early.
ReplyDeleteCompared to the crowds of previous concerts held in East River State Park, there were relatively few people. At about 9pm, nobody else was allowed to enter. Many ended up near the East River Ferry stop and from my vantage point, it was more crowded there than the park. A bad call by the powers that be.
ReplyDeleteHeard someone say that since it's a state park no help from NYPD for crowd control, just a couple of park rangers.
ReplyDelete